Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

Words of Wisdom

I celebrated my birthday last week and providentially found the following reflection while cleaning out a drawer.  I knew that  my mother had cut it out from a newspaper or magazine and laminated it, but  I didn’t know the author. I realized she must have found it a source of comfort and inspiration, though, and  I’m very glad to have found it. I’d like to share it with you:

Individuals who remain vital have learned not to be imprisoned by fixed habits, attitudes and routines. We build our own prisons and serve as our own jailers. But if we build the prisons ourselves, we can tear them down ourselves. If we are willing to learn, the opportunities are everywhere. We learn from our work and from our friends and families. We learn by accepting the obligations of life, by suffering, by taking risks, by loving, by bearing life’s indignities with dignity.

The things you learn in maturity seldom involve information and skills. You learn to bear with the things you can’t change. You learn to avoid self-pity. You learn not to burn up energy in anxiety. You learn that most people are neither for you or against you but rather are thinking about themselves. You learn that no matter how hard you try to please, some people are never going to love you — a notion that troubles at first but is eventually relaxing.

I’ve got a hunch I’ll be keeping this memento  for a long time and reading it often.